News

This week, the majority party in the Illinois Senate advanced out of committee a proposed graduated income tax that provides no protections for middle-income families and would give those lawmakers the ability to raise taxes in the future.

In the wake of 3 Illinois State Trooper fatalities in the first 3 months of the year, State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) passed legislation to require the Secretary of State to remind and test drivers on Scotts Law, which requires people to slow down, move over and change lanes if possible when approaching emergency vehicles. The Senator noted that 16 Illinois State Police Troopers have been hit this year, with three fatalities. First responders have an extremely dangerous job, said Rose. Motorists need to pull over and give them room. Its the law and we need to do everything we can to make sure drivers understand this....

Senator Chuck Weaver is hosting a Town Hall April 18 at the High School in Princeton.

Several Illinois schools are not receiving all of the property tax money committed to them through the tax extension process, and are losing thousands of dollars each year, said State Senator Don DeWitte. Senate Bill 1043, sponsored by the Republican from St. Charles, which addresses the issue, passed out of the Illinois Senate on Friday, April 12.

State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) spoke out against the graduated income tax proposal (SJRCA 1) during Wednesdays Senate Executive Committee hearing, and issued the following statement.

A bill that would exempt all public schools and their students from paying sales tax on school lunches passed the Illinois Senate on Wednesday, April 11. State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) carried Senate Bill 1755 in an effort to put all schools on equal footing regardless of who provides school meals to students.

Approximately 40 students visited the Illinois State Capitol on April 10 to hold a mock committee hearing and vote on legislation that they had proposed earlier in the year. The event was part of State Senator Jason Barickmans (R-Bloomington) Youth Advisory Council Program. People always say that young people arent engaged in whats happening in government, said Barickman. This is an opportunity to not only engage them in the process, but to let them try their hands at being lawmakers, lobbyists, and even reporters...

Legislation sponsored by State Senator Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles) seeking to help address the teacher shortage in Illinois passed the Senate on Wednesday, April 10. Senate Bill 1809 is Sen. DeWittes first piece of legislation to pass the Senate.

The Illinois Senate has unanimously passed legislation championed by State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) that would protect Illinois residents, like those Willowbrook residents impacted by Sterigenics, from the hidden dangers of ethylene oxide. Curran has led the fight against Sterigenics since it was first discovered they were emitting dangerous levels of ethylene oxide into the community. The measures he introduced, and which passed in the Senate, fulfill the pledge he made to residents that the legislature would take action to protect the publics health, which remains his number one priority...

The Illinois Attorney Generals office may soon have a dedicated team of lawyers working to combat wage theft and other unsafe conditions for employees, after the Illinois Senate unanimously passed legislation sponsored by Senator John Curran (R-Downers Grove) on April 11. This legislation protects both workers and businesses by helping to stop unlawful practices that hurt law-abiding businesses...

Dozens of high school students from across State Senator Sue Rezins 38th Senate District traveled to Springfield on April 11 to participate in her Youth Advisory Council (YAC).

On Thursday, April 11, State Senator Sue Rezins hard fought effort to provide more funding to Starved Rock State Park fell one vote short, yet again, from making it out of the Illinois Senate. Senate Bill 1310 would have allowed the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to charge a minimal parking fee at the state park.

Illinois schools could soon have a new affordable and easy-to-use option for locking classrooms to prevent dangerous intruders, now that the Illinois Senate has passed legislation filed by State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet). The legislation was suggested by Tuscola School Superintendent Mike Smith and supported by other superintendents in the area. Oakwood Superintendent Gary Lewis, Salt Fork Superintendent Phil Cox, and Kyle Thompson of ROE #11, met for several weeks with the State Fire Marshall and the Illinois State Board of Education on the legislation...

Applications are due April 30 for the 2019-2020 Scholarship Award Program sponsored by the Illinois Conference of Women Legislators , a bipartisan, bicameral, nonprofit organization of women legislators in the Illinois General Assembly.

Senator Weaver talks about the 55 students from 22 central Illinois high schools who came to Springfield April 3 to experience first-hand the workings of their state government.

State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) said the graduated income tax proposal, which passed the Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday, April 10, offers no guaranteed protections for middle class families and poses a risk for the future.

Senator Jim Oberweis released the following statement after the Senate Executive Committee voted along party lines April 10 to advance a proposed Constitutional Amendment that would cost taxpayers an additional $3.4 billion each year while fundamentally changing Illinois income tax structure.

State Senator Sue Rezins legislation that would allow the Department of Natural Resources to charge a minimal parking fee at Starved Rock failed to pass the full Senate on Wednesday, April 10 with a vote of 29-9. Senate Bill 1310 needed 30 yes votes to pass but fell short by one vote.

Dozens of high school students spent the day on the campus of SIUC taking a deep dive into the processes of governance and law-making on April 8th. The event was part of State Senator Paul Schimpfs (R-Waterloo) Youth Advisory Council. The idea is to encourage some of our outstanding high school students to consider a career in public service...

On April 9, Democrat lawmakers in the Senate voted to waive the public notice requirements for the proposed controversial progressive income tax overhaul of Illinois current flat income tax structure.

State Senator Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles) is encouraging women throughout the 33rd District, who are seeking to earn undergraduate college degrees, to apply for a $2,500 scholarship offered by the Conference of Women Legislators (COWL). Applicants must be 25 years or older.

State officials and lawmakers are asking the public to slow down and drive more carefully after two Illinois State Police officers were killed in recent distracted-driving accidents. Trooper Gerald Ellis was on duty March 30 when he was killed in a head-on collision with a vehicle traveling the wrong way on Interstate 94. Two days earlier, on March 28, Trooper Brooke Jones-Story was struck and killed by a semitrailer during a roadside inspection of another truck, just west of Illinois Route 75.

The Senate has taken another major step in combatting the opioid overdose epidemic by passing legislation sponsored by State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) to treat the deadly drug Fentanyl as seriously as heroin. “Fentanyl has clearly become the number one threat in the ongoing opioid crisis,” said Curran. “This bill will help our justice system clamp down on the illegal Fentanyl trade and help law enforcement get the deadly drug off of our streets.”

Health insurance companies would be required to offer generic alternatives for EpiPens under legislation sponsored by State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) that passed by a unanimous vote of the Senate on April 4.

Health insurance companies would be required to offer generic alternatives for EpiPens under legislation sponsored by State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris). Senate Bill 2047 passed the Senate unanimously on Thursday, April 4.